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thoughts cried. It is nothing more than a fever dream. I must awaken! I must!
    Ronan battled to pry open his eyes, but when he did, horror clawed at him. All he saw was his prison before him. Nay, this was not possible. He was free.
    “You will never be free!”
    Suddenly, he was in the black mud, in the deep crack in the earth, pulling his way out, fighting for freedom.
    Born from the depths of hell, its muck still clung to him. A stain of evil on his soul that would always remain.
    “Nay!” Ronan cried.
    He levered upward, his eyes rolling wildly, battling to breathe, pain radiating through the deepest part of his being. He was in his bed in his solar.
    Alone.
    Ronan staggered from his bed, the floor undulating beneath his feet. He reached out and caught the bedpost. He had to get control of himself. He was free. He was safe at home. But as his vision blurred again, he feared it all a hallucination, that he would again awaken in his prison.
    His entire body shook. A high -pitched whine sounded in his ears. A strange euphoria settled over him. Nay! Not again, please God, not again!
    He pitched face -first onto the floor as the attack took him full force.
    ****
    They had crossed the border days ago and traveled deeper into Scotland before finally stopping to camp for the night. According to Connell, they had two more days of travel before they reached Castle MacGrigor. Lia longed to see an end to the journey, but she could not deny her nerves coiled tighter the closer they approached. What would happen if their laird had died before she could reach him? Or even worse, what if he was so far gone she could not save him?
    She shoved her worries aside and concentrated on dinner. The Scotsmen were quite adept at cooking on the trail, but she found the fare a bit bland. Another thing she had learned under Sueta’s tutelage was cooking, and the people she met as a healer had only added to that knowledge. At least Robert and Connell seemed to appreciate her cooking, and it was something she could do so she didn’t feel like such a burden to them.
    The men worked to finish setting up camp. As the sun disappeared behind the western horizon, Lia spooned the thick stew into bowls.
    “Ah, thank ye, lassie,” Connell said as he sat on a log near the campfire and took the bowl from her. “Since ye took over the cooking, the food i s finally fit for a weary man tae regain his strength.”
    Lia felt her lips tug upward.
    “Aye,” Robert said as he too sat and took a bowl from her. “Much better than the swill Connell was tryin’ tae poison us with.”
    “Hey now,” Connell said in warning. “Poisoning yer food can be arranged.”
    “Shut yer trap,” Robert snapped. “The poor lassie be weary and doesna need tae hear yer weak threats.”
    “Weak? The lassie only need s tae look at ye tae see who is truly weak.”
    Lia sat with her own bowl in hand, laughing at the insults they tossed back and forth. At least the ride north had not been boring with these two constantly providing entertainment.
    Lia had just taken two bites of her dinner when a sound behind her sent a bolt of terror through her and froze her in place. For an instant , she thought she might have imagined the noise until she looked to Connell, who was staring at something behind her. He slowly sat his bowl on the ground and drew a viciously long dagger.
    “ Pray, lassie,” he whispered between clenched teeth, “dinna move.”
    She swallowed hard and looked to Robert but only caught a glimpse of his back as he disappeared into the trees surrounding the small clearing of their camp.
    Lia squeezed her eyes closed, fighting the urge to bolt toward Connell.
    She heard another sound behind her , but before she could utter the scream that lodged in her throat, Connell lunged forward and seized her arm. He yanked her to him and Lia only glimpsed a dark blur. She heard a muffled grunt and turned to see Robert tackle a man from behind. Connell shoved her behind him and